Replication of information carriers

ABSTRACT

A process for producing an information carrier containing recorded audio and/or video information wherein a web of a thermoplastic material is extruded onto the patterned surface of a metal master and pressure is applied to force said thermoplastic material into contact with the metal master. The thermoplastic material is cooled to a temperature below its softening point to form an imaged thermoplastic web which is separated from the metal master. Then a thin film of metal particles is deposited on the imaged surface of the thermoplastic web and said metallized thermoplastic web is laminated with a substrate carrying an uncured coating of a radiation curable resin. The resin is cured and individual information carriers are separated from the web of information carrying laminate. A center hole is placed in the separated individual information carriers, when appropriate.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 887,902 filed July 18,1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,893 which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 632,477 filed July 19,1984, now abandoned, the test of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the replication of information carriers andmore particularly to a process for replicating information carriers suchas compact discs carrying audio and/or video information.

Compact discs are widely used for storage of audio and/or videoinformation recorded as depressions or pits at a high density. The usualsize of the standard compact discs is 4.75 inches and a single disc maycarry billions of pits representing recorded information. Theinformation recorded on the discs can be obtained from the disc byappropriate scanning techniques such as optical recovery by means oflaser beams. The compact discs carrying recorded information are usuallymade by forming a photoresist layer on a surface of a disc of glasswhich has a high degree of flatness. The photoresist layer is thenirradiated with a laser beam or electron beam modulated in intensity byinformation signals to be recorded. The photoresist layer is thendeveloped to form depressions or pits corresponding to the informationsignals. A thin film of silver is deposited by chemical plating on thesurface of the photoresist layer in a step known as silver mirrortreatment to render the photoresist layer surface electricallyconductive. Thereafter a layer of nickel is deposited on the silver filmby electroplating and upon separation of the nickel film it carries theimage corresponding to the recorded information and serves as a master.

At the present time, compact discs are produced by injection moldingwith individual discs being formed in a mold cavity. To produce compactdiscs by the conventional injection molding procedure, a nickel masteris placed into a mold cavity and is copied by injecting a moldableplastic into the mold cavity. When the injected plastic resin is frozen,usually in a period on the order of 10 seconds, the molded plasticcarrying the image of the nickel master is removed from the mold. Thenext step in production involves metallizing the molded plastic withaluminum using known techniques. The aluminum is then coated with aprotective lacquer or varnish and finally, the compact disc is providedwith a hole which is aligned in the center of the data image lines.

In producing compact discs by conventional injection molding it is veryimportant that the injection molding of the plastic and themetallization step be conducted in a clean environment to prevent dustparticles from contaminating the image surface before the metal isadded. The pit tracks on the disc are of very minute dimensions with thedistance between pit tracks being only about 1.6 microns. If the tracksbecome clogged or covered, reproduction of the recorded information isseriously affected. The number of compact discs which can be produced byconventional injection molding in a given time is relatively low sincethe injected plastic must be permitted to freeze before it can beremoved from the mold cavity. Furthermore, with the conventionalproduction technique the substrate of the disc is limited to a moldedplastic and an injection molding grade of plastic is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a newand advantageous method for production of information carrying compactdiscs.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a process forproducing at high speeds a multiplicity of information carrying compactdiscs.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide methods forproducing information carrying compact discs having a variety ofsubstrates.

The process of this invention for producing an information carriercontaining recorded audio and/or video information comprises:

(a) extruding in the form of a web a thermoplastic material at atemperature above its softening point onto the patterned surface of ametal master, the patterned surface of said metal master containingdepressions corresponding to digitally encoded audio and/or videoinformation;

(b) applying pressure to force said thermoplastic material into contactwith the patterned surface of the metal master;

(c) cooling the thermoplastic material to a temperature below itssoftening point to form an imaged thermoplastic web carrying areplication of the patterned surface from the metal master;

(d) separating from the metal master the imaged thermoplastic web;

(e) depositing a thin film of metal particles on the imaged surface ofthe thermoplastic web;

(f) laminating said metallized thermoplastic web with a substratecarrying an uncured coating of a radiation curable resin;

(g) radiating the laminate to cure the resin substantiallyinstantaneously;

(h) removing an individual information carrier from the web ofinformation carrying laminate; and

(i) (optionally) placing a center hole in the separated individualinformation carrier, when appropriate.

In an alternative embodiment, after the resin is cured (step g) theimaged thermoplastic web is separated from the cured laminate to providein the form of a web an information carrying laminate formed of thesubstrate, cured resin and film of metal particles. Thereafter, anindividual information carrier is removed from the web and a center holeplaced therein, when appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of the process for producinginformation carrying compact discs according to this invention.

FIGS. 2 through 5 are fragmentary cross-sectional views of progressivesteps in the production of the compact discs according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a compact disc produced in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 7 is another embodiment of apparatus for carrying the metal masteronto which a thermoplastic material is extruded in accordance with theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a thermoplastic material 12 is extruded in the formof a continuous web at a temperature above its softening point from anextrusion die 11. A large variety of thermoplastic materials which arerendered soft and moldable by heat can be used. Representative ofsuitable materials are polypropylenes, polyethylenes, polycarbonates,polyvinylchlorides, polyesters, polystyrenes, acrylics and the like.Preferred thermoplastic materials are those that soften and becomemoldable at temperatures slightly above room temperature. For certainapplications, it is preferred that the plastic be transparent, or atleast translucent, for viewing the image through the plastic. Preferredillustrative thermoplastics include polypropylenes and polyesters.

The extruder 11 can be a conventional extruding die for extrudingplastic material. The softened thermoplastic 12 is extruded fromextruder 11 onto an imaged master 14 containing patterned or imagedsurface depressions or pits corresponding to audio or video recordeddigital information which can be retrieved by known techniques, such as,for example, laser scanning. The master 14 is formed of a metal such asnickel and can be secured to a working tool which in FIG. 1 is shown asa rotating cylinder 16. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 7, themaster 14 can take the form of a continuous belt 15 which is suspendedon and between two parallel rotating cylinders 16A and 16B, which formthe working tool. Preferably, depending upon the nature of the image tobe reproduced and the intended use of the replicates, the thermoplasticmaterial is extruded onto the imaged master at a rate to provide, whencooled, a film of plastic having a thickness of from 0.1 to 20 mils, andmost preferably about 0.5 to 1.5 mils.

The dimensions of the working tool can vary so as to accommodate adesired number of images to be duplicated. For example, the rotatingcylinder 16 can have a longitudinal dimension or face width of fromabout 6 to 60 inches and a circumference of 18 inches so as toaccommodate from 1 to 12 images across the tool and 4 circumferentiallydisposed images. A working tool of such dimensions would produce from 4to 48 copies of the master upon each revolution.

The image to be duplicated can be formed on the metal master 14 by anysuitable known techniques, such as, vacuum deposition, sputtering,chemical deposition and the like. The metal master 14 is formed of amaterial which retains its integrity under temperatures high enough tosoften or melt the plastic used in the process, is hard enough to retainthe image after multiple uses, conducts heat sufficiently to help coolthe melted plastic, and which preferably can be formed into shapes asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7. A material which satisfies these criteriaparticularly well, particularly for placement on a rotatable cylinder ormoving belt, is nickel. Other suitable materials include copper,silicones and epoxies. For flexibility and ease of attachment, the metalimage master 14 is usually in the range of 1 to 8 mils in thickness. Itis attached to the working tool, i.e. rotatable cylinder 16, or to belt15 by either mechanical methods or adhesives. The working tool is thenpositioned so that it rotates in close proximity to an extrusion sheetdie 11 of the same working width. The sheet die is fed with athermoplastic resin mixture under pressure such that the plastic film 12extrudes onto the imaged surface of the metal-covered working tool inthe form of a continuous web. Typically, the extruded plastic is apolypropylene or polyester resin which extrudes in the temperature rangeof 370° to 470° F. with a sheet die pressure of 900 to 1800 psi. Theplastic film thickness should be in the range of 1 to 5 mils. However,this process is flexible and will copy images very well above and belowthis range.

The cylinder 16 carrying the metal master 14 on its exterior surfacerotates as the softened plastic 12 is extruded thereon. The rotatingcylinder 16 is preferably of the known water-cooled type in which wateris passed through the interior thereof. The cylinder is cooled in thismanner to a temperature below the softening temperature (freezingtemperature) of the extruded plastic. As the cylinder rotates, pressureis applied to the thermoplastic material causing it to conform to thesurface of the imaged metal master 14, with the image thereon beingfaithfully transferred to the thermoplastic material in its frozenstate.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, fluid pressureis applied from any suitable device 18 capable of directing a stream ofgas onto the film of thermoplastic material which is spread on theimaged metal master 14. The extruded thermoplastic film 12, from thesheet die 11, passes below a stream of gas such as an air knife 18 atthe same time that it comes in contact with the imaged metal master 14attached to the cylinder 16. The frictionless air pressure curtainpresses the film onto the imaged metal master and irons out the airwhich could otherwise be trapped between the imaged metal master and thethermoplastic film. The surface speed of the cylinder is usually in therange of 40 feet per minute. Typically, although variable the air knifeis held above the cylinder a distance of 20 mils and operated with aninternal air pressure of 20 to 40 psi and the slit opening of the airknife is set at 10 mils prior to pressurization. This gas stream or gascurtain should be such as to prevent air from being trapped between theimaged metal master and the thermoplastic film to which the image is tobe transferred. Thus, the gas stream performs an "ironing" effect andpreferably is directed over the entire width of the thermoplastic filmat temperatures below the freezing temperature of the plastic material.The gas is directed onto the thermoplastic material with sufficientforce to "iron" it against the imaged metal master and to force it intointimate contact therewith, the minimum amount of such pressure being afunction of the viscosity of the plastic material and the thickness ofthe plastic film. Ordinarily, such pressures fall in a range betweenapproximately 0.1 and 10 grams per centimeter.

The preferred fluid pressure device 18 can be any suitable device whichis capable of forming a gas curtain over the surface of thethermoplastic passing therebelow. Examples of suitable devices are airknives, and air pressure zones created through the use of porousmaterials through which air or other gas is directed. Thus, referring toFIGS. 1 and 7, air or other gas 13 is expelled through the narrowaperture of an air knife 18 onto the softened thermoplastic web 12, atsubstantially the same time and location as the softened thermoplasticweb 12 contacts the imaged metal master 14. It is particularly preferredto transfer the image from the metal master 14 by using fluid pressure,however, mechanical pressure means such as described in U.S. Pat. No.3,756,760 can also be employed. The air (or other confined or unconfinedgas or liquid) which is directed onto the thermoplastic film, as theimage is being transferred to the softened plastic, exerts an "ironing"effect on the plastic so as to exclude air bubbles between the plasticfilm and image master. This results in superior quality replicates andis particularly advantageous when the image to be reproduced involvesvery fine details, such as is the case with digital information recordedon compact discs. The gas curtain exerts only substantially normal(perpendicular) forces on the film surface which does not cause lateralmovement from which smearing of the image could occur. Moreover, the gascurtain adjusts to gauge variations in the thickness of the plasticfilm, thus insuring good contact of the plastic with the image master.This adjustment is superior even to that provided by a flexible nip rollsuch as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,760. Also, because thegas curtain or other comparable fluid pressure means is "forgiving" andnot rigid, when the mass of the softened plastic begins to shrink as itcools, the web can pull away from the image master, rather than beingdragged laterally along the image master by the force of the shrinkage,thus avoiding damage to the replicated image which became fixed (frozen)almost instantaneously upon contact with the image master. This freeshrinkage also keeps the plastic film from becoming stressed or"oriented", as generally happens with opposing nip rolls, which oftenresults in warpage of the resulting web if the ambient temperaturechanges, particularly if the web is thin.

The heat transfer qualities of the gas curtain or other fluid pressuremeans allow greater line speeds while adequately cooling the imagedplastic film. The gas curtain directed onto the rotating cylinder at asubstantially perpendicular orientation produces very little friction,thus permitting very thin gauge imaged film to be produced without alikelihood of web wrinkling or breakage. With a thin gauge plastic film,the image can be viewed satisfactorily from the non-image side of theweb without the necessity of polishing that side. This property isdesired because some product applications require viewing the image fromthe back side of the imaged plastic film. Thin gauge films also affordgreater economy since more imaged film can be produced from a givenamount of plastic and more square feet of imaged film can beaccommodated on each production roll.

The use of a gas curtain or other equivalent fluid pressure means ratherthan opposing mechanical pressure nip rolls greatly reduces the pressureapplied to the plastic film, and many plastic films are lubricants intheir liquid states. For both of these reasons, the pressure applied tothe imaged tool is negligible, resulting in a negligible amount ofdeformation or wear of the imaged tool. Thus, unless the plastic and theimaged tool are made of chemically reactant materials, the imaged toolhas a long, useful life.

The gas curtain or other fluid pressure means can be applied to rotatingcylinders with circumferential diameter variations, without shearstress, which results from differential surface velocities inherent inthe use of opposing nip rolls with circumferential diameter variations,being applied to the imaged plastic web. Such shear stress can distortor smear the replicated image. On the contrary, the application of fluidpressure according to this invention enables the production of imagedfilm with configurations other than planar.

In lieu of a gas-directing device as exemplified in FIGS. 1 and 7, therecan be used any device which functions to exert fluid pressure on thesurface of the thermoplastic film when it comes into contact with theimaged tool. The fluid pressure must be sufficient to "iron" the plasticagainst the imaged tool and to force the thermoplastic film intointimate contact therewith. Free-flowing or flexibly confined fluidpressure can be utilized. Thus, for example, the fluid pressure can beexerted by free-flowing gas or liquid which is not confined in acontainer or by gas or liquid confined in a resilient container such as,for example, an elastomeric bag. Preferably, the gas or liquid withinthe resilient container is at a relatively low temperature below thesoftening temperature of the thermoplastic material so that heat isconducted from the thermoplastic film causing it to become frozen.Cooling of the confined gas or liquid can be accomplished by anysuitable means. While the use of such a container to confine a gas orliquid creates a certain limited amount of friction between thecontainer and the thermoplastic film, such friction can be useful, forexample, to polish one side of the thermoplastic film.

The plastic web then continues around the imaged metal master 14attached to the cylinder 16 for approximately 180 degrees and is reversewrapped onto a second cylinder or roll 21 which conducts residual heataway from the web and from which the imaged thermoplastic web can beunwound for further processing in accordance with this invention. Theimaged thermoplastic web can be stored on roll 21 for any desired lengthof time and thus further processing to form the information carriermedium need not be accomplished contemporaneously with the formation ofthe imaged thermoplastic web. Moreover, by winding the imagedthermoplastic web on roll 21, contamination thereof by dust or othercontaminants is inherently greatly minimized since the imaged surfacesare not exposed to the environment as is the case with the separateimages produced by the conventional injection molding procedure forproducing compact discs. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the imagedthermoplastic web at this stage of production, designated by the numeral20, is shown in FIG. 2.

To produce a multiplicity of information carriers, the image carryingthermoplastic web 20 is unwound from roll 21 and undergoes the step ofmetallic deposition at step 22. Briefly, at step 22 an extremely thincoat 25 of a metal such as aluminum is deposited upon the web 20 so asto conform to the imaged surface on the web. The resultant metallic filmon the web 20 preferably has a thickness of approximately 100 to 1000 Åand this extremely small thickness permits minimal use of metallicmaterials with the metal conforming exactly to the contours of thepatterned imaged web.

The thermoplastic web 20 is metallized by any known technique such asvacuum metallization, sputtering, chemical deposition or any othercoating process. A well known and commonly used process suitable for useherein is vacuum metallization, wherein vaporized metal is condensedonto the substrate to be metallized. This procedure takes place in avacuum on the order of 10⁻⁴ Torr. At these low pressures the moleculesof metallic vapor issuing from the evaporation source can reach the webwithout being blocked or oxidized by gases. After metallization, themetallized web 24 can be wound on a roll 23 for further processingimmediately or at a later time. Suitable metals for deposition includealuminum, copper, silver, nickel, thin gold, their alloys and othervaporizable metals. The metal deposited will have a thickness ofgenerally less than about 1000 Å, typically less than about 550 Å, andpreferably less than about 200 Å.

The next step in the process according to this invention involveslaminating the metallized plastic web 24 with a substrate 26 carrying aresin or varnish 28 which is curable by exposure to radiation, such asultraviolet radiation or electron beam radiation. To this end, asillustrated in FIG. 1, the selected substrate 26 coated with radiationcurable varnish 28 is unwound from a roll 33 and before the varnish 28is cured, laminated at 40 with the metallized thermoplastic web 24. Thesubstrate 26 can include transparent plastics, glass, metal, ceramic andpaper materials. The substrate 26 generally has a thickness of fromabout 0.002 to 1.0 inch and with flexible substrates preferably athickness of about 0.100 in order to achieve an optically flat surfacefor playback. With the use of a transparent substrate, the image whichis to be subsequently transferred thereto is read through the substrateby a laser scanner in conventional manner. However, with the process ofthis invention the substrate 26 need not be transparent or clear andopaque substrates such as metal, ceramics, paper, etc. can be used. Witha compact disc formed of an opaque substrate, the image is read from theother (metallized) side by a laser scanner. Playback or reading of theimage is possible from either side since the laser scanner can detecteither a depression or a raised surface.

For lamination, the webs 24 and 26 are brought together at 40 inface-to-face relationship between a pair of rollers and pressure isapplied to effect lamination. The pressure required and the types ofrollers for lamination can be routinely determined. For example, theteachings in U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,170 with respect to the lamination canbe followed. Representative varnishes which are curable by radiationinclude acrylated epoxies, acrylated urethanes, acrylics, polyesters,thiolene and the like. The optimum amount of the radiation curablevarnish that should be applied is readily determined by those skilled inthis art. This amount varies depending upon the viscosity of thevarnish, the degree to which the varnish is reduced with solvents, thepressure used during the lamination step, the hardness of the pressurerolls, and the porosity and surface irregularities of the substrate.

After lamination at 40, the laminate is then subjected to curing bysuitable radiation techniques known in the art. One particular preferredprocedure for curing the resin substantially instantaneously is by useof an electron beam as described pending application Ser. No. 509,095filed by Paul Heinzer et al. on June 28, 1983. More particularly, theelectron beam curing apparatus used in the said application, shown inblock diagram form at 44, can be of the type manufactured by EnergySciences, Inc., 8 Gill Street, Woburn, Mass. 01801. This apparatusoperates on the principle that when accelerated electrons penetrate intomaterial they lose speed and transfer their energy into the material tobe treated. The transferred energy excites molecules and forms a cloudof secondary electrons and free radicals which initiate chemical chainreactions in specific materials. There are two major applications ofelectron beam treatment, the simplest involves cross-linking andvulcanization, i.e., bonding between adjacent polymer chains and thesecond involves electron initiated free radical polymerization.

The electron beam curing apparatus consists of several main elements.The source of the electrons is a heated filament, the cathode. From herethe electrons are accelerated, in vacuum, towards an electrontransmissable window, which represents a grounded anode. A high voltagepotential applied between the cathode and the anode accelerates theemitted electrons close to the speed of light. The window, a thin metalfoil, separates vacuum in the accelerator from atmospheric pressure inthe treatment zone. The acceleration is done in an evacuated environmentto avoid collisions with gas molecules and to prevent cathode oxidation.

There are two different types of industrial electron accelerators. Anearlier design utilizes a pencil-shaped beam of electrons from a pointsource which is accelerated through a multistage accelerator tube andthen scanned by an electromagnetic field through the window over thewidth of the product to be treated. This type of equipment is normallyused for applications above 300 kV. Later designs, based on a linearcathode, generate a curtain of electrons over the entire product widthwithout the need of scanning the beam. The electron beam curingapparatus discussed above is described in a 1979 publication of EnergySciences Incorporated entitled "ELECTRO CURTAIN".

With the electron beam curing process described above, the varnishcoating is cured by exposure for a few milliseconds to the curtain ofelectrons without the use of heat. Since the product is completely, andessentially instantaneously, cured, it is immediately available forfurther processing.

A slight heat build-up due to the energy transfer of the electrons andthe chemical action can be observed. Normally, the heat build-up willnot exceed a few degrees depending on the curing dose and the thicknessof the reactive layer. Thus, the equipment for electron beam curing canbe described as a "cold oven" in which the reaction is initiated by thecreation of free radicals by high energy electrons rather than bythermal effects.

The particular dose or treatment level required to cure a particularproduct depends on the type of material being cured and the thickness ofthe material. Typically, a dose of between 1 and 6 magarads will beused, depending on the material and thickness of the varnish, as well asthe substrate and the thermoplastic web. Typically also, the voltage ofthe beam using the equipment described depends on the thickness of thesubstrate that the beam is required to penetrate. Therefore, it ispreferable to cure through the thermoplastic web, since it is thin andconsistent, rather than through the substrate, which may be coarse andinconsistent in thickness.

The laminate resulting from the radiation curing step, designated withthe numeral 46, is then delaminated at 50 so that the thermoplastic web20 is separated therefrom to produce in the form of a web an informationcarrying laminate 53 comprising the substrate 26, the radiation curedresin 28 and the metal layer 25. The imaged plastic web 20 separated at50 can be recycled to the metallization step 22.

A protective coating can then be applied to one or both sides of the web53. Illustrative protective coating materials are nitrocelluloselacquers, acrylic lacquers, vinyl lacquers, radiation-curable clear topcoats and the like. It is desirable to employ a clear or transparentprotective coating material, such as, for example, an acrylic lacquer ora vinyl copolymer lacquer, particularly when the substrate 26 is anopaque material so as to facilitate laser read-out.

Thereafter, the web 53 can be subjected to a cutting operation at 56 toseparate individual information carrying compact discs 52 from the web.A center hole 57 is then punched at 58 in the individual discs with thecenter hole providing for proper positioning of the disc for read-out orretrieval of the recorded information.

Alternatively, the delamination step at 50 can be omitted and theinformation carrying web 46 can be sent directly to the cuttingoperation at 56 to separate individual compact discs 48 (FIG. 4)comprising the substrate 26, the radiation cured resin 28, metal layer25 and plastic web 20. The discs 48 are provided with a center hole at58 and can be provided on one or both sides with a protective coating asindicated above.

The process of the present invention for producing multiple copies ofinformation carriers affords numerous advantages. Thus, by the processof the invention information carriers, such as compact discs, can beproduced at high speeds, with production rates some 10 to 20 timesfaster than the rate achieved by producing such discs by theconventional injection molding technique. Furthermore, the processpermits the use of a variety of substrate materials, both transparentand opaque, and is not limited to use of only an injection grade ofmoldable plastic. Also, discs of very thin gauge can be produced sincesubstrates other than flexible plastic materials can be utilized. Theproblems of dust contamination during the production of the discs isgreatly minimized, resulting in higher quality discs which provideexcellent optical read-out.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference toreplicating information carriers in the form of compact discs. However,the invention is admirably applicable to the replication of other formsof information carriers such as holograms, diffraction grating patterns,audio discs, and video discs having high density information recorded inthe submicron range.

Those modifications and equivalents which fall within the spirit of theinvention are to be considered a part thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for replicating an information carriercontaining stored audio or video information or a combination thereofwhich comprises:(a) extruding in the form of a web a thermoplasticmaterial at a temperature above its softening point onto the patternedsurface of a metal master, the patterned surface of said metal mastercontaining depressions corresponding to digitally encoded audio or videoinformation; (b) applying pressure to force said thermoplastic materialinto contact with the patterned surface of the metal master; (c) coolingthe thermoplastic material to a temperature below its softening point toform an imaged thermoplastic web carrying a replication of the patternedsurface from the metal master; (d) separating from the metal master theimaged thermoplastic web; (e) depositing a thin film of metal particleson the imaged surface of the thermoplastic web; (f) laminating saidmetallized thermoplastic web with a substrate carrying an uncuredcoating of a radiation curable resin; (g) radiating the laminate to curethe resin substantially instantaneously; and (h) removing an individualinformation carrier from the web of information carrying laminate.
 2. Aprocess in accordance with claim 1 wherein after radiating the imagedthermoplastic web is separated from the cured laminate to provide in theform of a web an information carrying laminate formed of the substrate,cured resin and metal layer. ,,
 3. A process in accordance with claim 1wherein after radiating a protective coating is applied to one or bothsides of the laminate.
 4. A process in accordance with claim 1 whereinafter radiating a protective coating is applied to one or both sides ofthe laminate.
 5. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein theindividual information carrier is in the form of a compact disc.
 6. Aprocess in accordance with claim 1 wherein the metal master is carriedby a moving working tool whereby the thermoplastic material is extrudedonto the metal master as it moves with the working tool.
 7. A process inaccordance with claim 1 wherein a multiplicity of metal masters arecarried by a moving working tool whereby the thermoplastic material isextruded onto the patterned surface of each of said metal masters andthereby forming a web carrying a multiplicity of information carriers.8. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the said substrate is atransparent material.
 9. A process in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe said substrate is an opaque material.
 10. A process in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the said substrate is a plastic material.
 11. Aprocess in accordance with claim 1 wherein the said substrate is ametal.
 12. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the saidsubstrate is ceramic.
 13. A process in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe said substrate is paper.
 14. A process in accordance with claim 1wherein the said substrate has a thickness of about 0.002 to 1.0 inch.15. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the said substrate hasa thickness of about 0.100 inch.
 16. A process in accordance with claim1 wherein the radiation curable resin is one which is curable byelectron beam radiation.
 17. A process in accordance with claim 1wherein the radiation curable resin is one which is curable byultraviolet radiation.
 18. A process in accordance with claim 1 whereinaluminum is the metal deposited on the imaged surface of thethermoplastic web.
 19. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein themetal is deposited by vacuum metallization.
 20. A process in accordancewith claim 1 wherein fluid pressure is employed to force thethermoplastic material into contact with the patterned surface of themetal master.